After watching Michigan battle Purdue in recent days, many people have been asking me how to defend unique and explosive talents like Jaden Ivey. Against guys that have extreme talent and potential to be stars at the next level, it often takes more than one person to guard that player. Coaches ask themselves how they can defend superstar guards primarily in the ball screen prior to games. Ball screen defense requires a lot of communication and movement from everyone on the floor, and there are various ways that teams guard the ball screen. Most of the choices on ball screen coverage come prior to the game; however, there can be adjustments made if certain players get hot. In this article, I will detail Michigan’s primary ball screen coverage and give examples of good coverage and bad plays.
#1 Drop Ball Screen Coverage
The “drop” ball screen coverage has been most prominent in Michigan’s defense this year. A lot of screening actions result in the drop, in which Hunter Dickinson drops back from the screener to protect the rim.
In the image above, Eli Brooks is chasing Eric Ayala through a couple of screens. This is forcing the ball toward the middle of the floor. Hunter Dickinson stands back a bit from the screener so he can be ready to catch the driving guard off the screen.
Notice how once Ayala gets the ball, there are two guys defending one player. Hunter is attempting to contain Ayala’s dribbling as I have outlined the box around his feet. Hunter stands a little lower ready to move his feet and his hands. This engaged defensive style has been emphasized by Coach Howard. Seeing a 7’1” big man guarding hard can be intimidating and make it difficult to drive to the rim. I have circled Moussa Diabate’s hand touching Hunter’s man. This is called a “tag”. Tagging the big man helps Hunter recover to his man.
When the pass gets released, I have circled all of the Michigan players’ reactions to the play. Moussa stands on the rolling big man to stop him if the ball goes there. Hunter raises his right hand to try to deflect the pass, and Eli Brooks jumps to deflect the ball as well. These “active hands” as the coaches like to call them, force the guard to make a tough pass in a tight window.
#2 Ice Ball Screen Coverage
An “ice” ball screen coverage is where the defender on the ball stands on the shoulder of the ball handler. Icing a ball screen requires a “no middle” mentality on defense. The point of the coverage is to keep the ball on one side of the floor. As the big man guarding the play, you must keep yourself in between the ball and the basket to prevent easy drives. I have detailed in the image below a scenario where Michigan attempts an ice ball screen against Purdue but doesn’t execute it properly and an example of Texas Tech running a proper ice against us in 2019.
Texas Tech’s ice ball screen coverage in this game in March Madness was a thing of perfection. Unfortunately, they played one of their best defensive games against us, but it can serve as a model for other teams to come. Notice how the guy guarding the ball does not allow a dribble to the middle of the floor, and he forces Zavier Simpson to dribble down into the left side. Furthermore, notice how Texas Tech’s big man is standing between the ball and the basket which prevents an easy drive to the rim by Zavier. This coverage can be used to neutralize players that are proficient going to a certain hand. For example, if a player’s strong right hand benefits them on a ball screen, teams will attempt to “ice” ball screens to force him to his left.
In this example from Michigan’s first game against Purdue, DeVante’ Jones does a good job of preventing Jaden Ivey from driving to the middle. Ivey is a proficient right hand scorer at the rim and Michigan wanted to prevent his driving ability from hurting them. However, this scenario is difficult for the big man. The screen is set so far away from the rim that Dickinson couldn’t close the space between him and Ivey. This allowed Ivey to dribble through the paint and get back to his right hand.
As the screen happens, Purdue also has a couple of cutters on the weak side to confuse the help defense. The man I have circled cut into the paint to free up some space for Ivey’s drive. The other man rotates up to the top of the key. In this situation, the movement messed up the help defense which should have held their positions. The Michigan defenders need to be in positions to help Dickinson on this screen.
This movement gives more space for Ivey on his right hand. A lack of help presence in these scenarios, combined with a downhill drive at full speed allowed Jaden Ivey to score easily in this situation.
#3 Hard Hedge Ball Screen Coverage (“White”)
This ball screen coverage has been rarely used by Coach Howard’s staff, but I wanted to show something that was a common coverage when Coach Yaklich was on Michigan’s staff. This hard hedge is a direct deterrent to a drive to the rim on a ball screen. The big man runs up with the screener and slides his feet to prevent the ball handler from driving. Coaches implement this ball screen coverage to put pressure on the ball handler. Furthermore, the ball handler will not get a clear lane to shoot a pull-up jumpshot like in the above coverages.
In 2019, Michigan State had a few proficient shooters off of the ball screen in Matt McQuaid and Cassius Winston. The “White” or Hard Hedge coverage forces the ball handler to go sideways instead of forward. In the above image, Jordan Poole forces McQuaid into the middle of the floor where Jon Teske is waiting. Teske is all the way up on his man ready to slide when McQuaid uses the ball screen.
After the screen is set, Teske must “draw a line in the sand”. This phrase has been used by the Michigan staff to emphasize the fact that this coverage cannot allow for any angles. Teske must move quickly and in a line to force the ball handler out of his drive. Meanwhile, since Teske occupies the ball handler, someone must handle the roll man. Brazdeikis, who I have shown with an arrow, must step up and “tag” the rolling big man. As I mentioned before, a “tag” slows down the big man rolling to the basket and allows Teske to find his man again.
Once McQuaid has picked up the ball, Teske can now leave his sliding position and run back to find his man. Notice at the free-throw line how Brazdeikis performs a strong “tag” to slow down the MSU big man. Now Teske has a shorter distance to return to his man, and everyone can reset defensively.
Summary
These three main ball screen coverages, the “Drop”, “Ice”, and the “White” can be mixed and matched throughout the season. It all depends on the matchup and what works best for your team. Coach Howard has favored the “drop” and the “ice” coverages more with Hunter Dickinson, but he could change up his approach
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